Rainfall
by RipplesOfAqua
Summary: They said the world was born from water. In the water life began, and it is water that soothes the pains of living. Yet, too often we forget that water kills as much as heals. Water drowns, water freezes, water burns. Only Miriam Calder knows the true devastation of the water, and she fears it with all her heart. She fears it, because now she is the water, and the water remembers.
1. Prologue

**_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., or any of Marvel's villains. This work is a fanfiction, and by no means in an attempt to infringe upon their copyright. Any similarity to real people is completely unintentional._**

_Summary: They said the world was born from water. In the water life began, and it is water that soothes the pains of living. Yet, too often we forget that water kills as much as heals. Water drowns, water freezes, water burns. Only Miriam Calder knows the true devastation of the water, and she fears it with all her heart. She fears it, because now she is the water, and the water remembers._

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

**Rainfall: Prologue **

_-Ripples of Aqua_

**_~0.o.O.o.0~_**

"and there are rumors circulating that aliens did in fact attack Manhattan with unknown..."

"government is refusing to answer our questions of army involvement..."

"witness reports of a number of superheroes, including Ironman and what appears to be Captain America, fighting back..."

"I don't care what anyone says, he saved me..."

"the possibility of more attacks..."

"they had flying cars! And then there was this big... thing, I saw it with my own eyes..."

"the death count may have been even higher if not for their action..."

"people are questioning the competence of..."

"the existence of humans, or perhaps they're not human, with powers beyond everything we..."

The aliens surrounded the man who wore America's pride on his skin and carried America's hope in his heart. He flung his shield towards them and they fell, their spines broken. More came, and he killed them quickly. Wave after wave advanced upon him, but he did not falter. He could not. He was outnumbered, but he kept fighting.

A man, suited in armor of iron, flew past. He raised an arm, and suddenly the aliens fell dead in a blast of light. He said something to the man in blue, then flew away as swiftly as he came.

Two black shadows appeared from nowhere to fire bullets-and were those arrows?-at the invaders, soon disappearing back into the dust of the battle.

Far above, the sky rippled, and lighting cracked through the clouds, some miraculous force guiding it towards the enemy.

The young woman stared, her mouth hanging open, as the news swirled across the screen. She was dangerously close to falling off the edge of the couch as her hands crumpled a nearby throw pillow.

The aliens seemed to be winning. Each time one fell, five more were waiting to take its place. Buildings tumbled to the ground as more and more descended upon the city, which had quickly become a war zone. The New York streets were eerily deserted; even the pigeons had disappeared.

A loud rumble shook the ground as a giant green monster stalked by the camera, each step leaving a tiny crater in its wake. It paused for a moment, as if looking for something, then released a guttural roar to the sky. A massive green fist crashed through a skyscraper, and the creature snarled. It bent down, sniffing the ground like a hunting dog. With alarming agility it ran down the street, where a car had been thrown upside-down in the battle. In the front seat a woman, dried blood caking her skull, lay amidst the shattered windshield.

She was dead.

The creature grabbed the car in one hand and placed it right side up on the ruined asphalt, nearly crushing it in the process. It paused, frowning, as it realized that the building was near collapse. With a grunt, it picked the car up once more and placed it farther down the street, away from harm.

As the giant continued on its warpath, a low whisper flew through the wind. "Safe now."

A young boy, tears running down his soot-covered face, peeked out of the car's window as the battle raged above him.

"And we'll have more on the story tonight at primetime, so be sure to tune in."

She blinked, the brash voice startling her out of her focus. Air rushed into her lungs and she looked around sheepishly, realizing that she had forgotten to breathe. Filling her lungs once more, she composed herself and settled farther back into the couch.

She chuckled to herself. _God Miriam, get a grip. It's only the TV after all_. Her mouth turned downward as she thought. _Actually... that was real._ A shudder coursed through her body. _Damn, that was real._

A door slammed downstairs, and her head whipped up in surprise. Her eyes brightened. "Hey dad! Get up here! You have to see this!"

Footsteps approached, and the door opened, but her father did not enter the living room. Putting away his coat and shoes he called out, "What is it Miriam? I have work to do."

She frowned. "But dad, the city was just attacked. By aliens. They had to send a team of superheroes. _Superheroes! _Can you belie-"

"Really Miriam, I expected more from you. You should know better than to believe everything the media tells you," he interrupted, his tone uninterested. He had a business to run, and couldn't care less about some sillly children's game. "Shouldn't you have something to do?"

"Like what?"

Anger crept into his voice. "Oh I don't know, perhaps you would like to prepare for that internship that begins next week?" The sound of footsteps faded as he disappeared upstairs.

Miriam rolled her eyes. "Oh _that_. Yes, dad, I'll go pack. Maybe I'll leave tonight," she muttered to herself. She let out a low breathe. She needed to get away, badly.

With a sigh she turned back the television, which was now showing the results of last night's baseball game. She watched it, not seeing a thing. Somehow, she couldn't get the image of that boy's face from her head.

Slowly, her hand reached the remote and the television clicked off, leaving her in complete silence to contemplate what she had seen.

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

"Please Laura, don't do this to me!" a young man cried out. His hand reached for the girl who seemed to stand miles away, but she recoiled from his touch.

She turned her back to him, hiding the lone tear that trickled down her cheek. "I have to, Nikolai. You give me no other choice. It's for the best."

His hands clenched by his sides. "You do not understand Laura! You are _mine! _You promised me! Will you break that promise too?" He stepped forward once more.

She whipped around, her eyes burning. "Do not touch me Nikolai! I am yours no longer. And it is _you_ who breaks our promise."

"How? Tell me, _how?_"

Her eyes softened, but the sadness in them grew deeper. "You've changed Nikolai, you've changed. I'm sorry, but you scare me. You _scare _me. I cannot love someone who I am afraid of. You're no longer that kind man I fell in love with. It's for the best." Her head fell. "We both know I have not been your priority for a long time now."

He stared at her. "Perhaps Laura, perhaps. But in the end, I always get what I want. And I want _you_."

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

_Again, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!_

_Chapter Soundtrack: "Hurt" by 2Cellos -** www . youtube** (dotcom slash) **watch?v=QQwYEPkpoqY** (without spaces)_


	2. Chapter 1: Everyone Owns a Tux

**Hi everyone. I am so, so sorry it took me this long to update. I had planned on getting this out over a week ago, but there was a family emergency and I wasn't in the mood to write. I'm back now, and future updates will be much faster. And future chapters will be longer, also. A big thank you to everyone who followed, and special thanks to Silvertongue33 for being my first and only reviewer! **

**Disclaimer: The Avengers are Marvel's, not mine. :(**

* * *

"Everyone owns a tux," Tony whined, unable to fathom that anyone could go without such a necessity. He owned over 200 himself. Or was it 300? Granted, Pepper had picked most of them out, and most he avoided wearing because they were so damn _uncomfortable_. But Bruce didn't need to know that right now.

"No Tony. For the last time, I do not own a tux" Bruce replied with a sigh. Tony's constant nagging, which had been going on for _days_, was finally starting to wear down his patience. It had begun with mere passing comments at breakfast, then evolved into pointed questioning any time they met. Now, Tony was practically assaulting him verbally, destroying the peace and quiet Bruce's final sanctuary: the lab.

"Of course you do. Stop trying to get out of everything." Tony reached into a drawer and began poking around. "Someone stole my blueberries. Did you steal my blueberries? Blueberry stealer. I want them back."

Now that Bruce thought about it, the lab was never quite _peaceful._ It just didn't have the same chaos that the six superheroes infected the rest of the tower with. Still, Tony wasn't letting the tux thing go, and the whole ordeal was really getting out of hand.

"I don't." Bruce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, as the Hulk roared at the back of his mind. He felt a headache coming on. That Tony was upsetting the Other Guy was a bad sign. The Other Guy liked Tony and found his antics amusing. Usually.

Tony rolled his chair over to another table and, reaching into another drawer, drew out a brand new bag of his favorite fruit. "Why not?"

"Where would I wear one? The hulk isn't exactly a popular dinner guest." That was true too. Despite helping to save the world and joining the ranks of Stark Industries, Bruce was never invited to _anything_, and for good reason. He was awkward around people, especially those he didn't know, and ended up feeling self-conscious and defensive. That particular stress was likely to bring the Other Guy out. Either way he would ruin a party. It was best to stay in the lab, where he could be alone.

"Ahh, but this isn't dinner."

Mostly alone.

"No. It's even worse. It's a ball," he replied, remembering the particular event that had started the argument in the first place. He shuddered inwardly. If it was a ball, there would be dancing. That was something he _definitely _did not do.

Tony leaned back in his chair, resting his feet on the table as he devoured his bag of blueberries. "Actually, I believe the correct term is 'gala'. Dinner's included."

Bruce sighed for what must have been the hundredth time as several blueberries flew towards his head. "No, Tony"

Tony just smirked and headed towards the elevator. As the doors closed around him, he turned around and winked. "Great, I'll just give Pepper your size and tell her to pick something out for you. The limo leaves at five. Don't be late Big Guy."

"Tony, I never agreed to this. And you know my size? That is not normal! _You_ are not _normal_..."

When the elevator doors remained shut, Bruce decided to ignore Tony's last comment and went back to picking the fruit out of his hair.

* * *

_Earlier that morning... _

Natasha was bored. _Very _bored. There hadn't been any decent assignments for months. Only the stupid no-kill, observation ones. She hated those. She would much rather go in for the kill and get the job over with than watch some pathetic criminal act like an idiot.

Clint was bored, too. He sat next to Natasha in the training room, shooting arrows at the wall. The targets had gotten too repetitive, so he decided to decorate the room with his initial. With his eyes closed, of course.

The room was silent except for the whoosh of his arrows, and the scratch as the Black Widow sharpened her knives.

And then Natasha's cell phone beeped.

Clint grabbed the annoying piece of plastic and glanced at the screen, rolling his eyes. "It's Hill. Again."

Natasha cursed as she played the message. "Fury had better have something interesting for us this time."

"_Agent Romanoff. Agent Barton. You have a new assignment. The mission profile has been sent. Please review it. You leave tonight_."

When the message clicked off, Clint grabbed the phone back from Natasha and read the attached report. It was another surveillance operation. Suspicious activity reported. Possibility of hostile suspects. They were to investigate and report back. The usual. He paused, a familiar name catching his eye. "Hey Tasha, isn't this the place Tony and Bruce are going? A science-nerd party, or something. Weren't they the ones involved in that thing a couple years ago... except there wasn't proof?" He grinned, holding the phone out for his partner. Maybe this wouldn't be so boring a mission after all.

* * *

Tony was... worried. Well no, Tony Stark was never _worried_. He was merely concerned. That was it. He was concerned about the gala, although he would never tell that to Bruce. The reputation of Omni Technological Institute was far from squeaky clean, and when the invitations arrived several weeks ago, he knew something was up. All the top scientists, engineers, and geniuses had been invited, but the question was _why_. Furthermore, Fury had contacted Stark directly, warning him to be careful and report anything unusual. Fury had also refused to answer Tony's questions on what sort of unusual he was looking out for, and above anything else, Tony _despised _not knowing. That could be dangerous.

Of course he had tried to hack the Omni database. _Tried. _He hadn't gotten in yet... He was just going easy on them, of course. Make them feel like their files were safe. Surely he could get to them any time he wanted and actually put in the effort.

Tony decided that he would feel much better if a certain green-giant was present at the gala as well.


	3. Chapter 2: The Black Diamond

**_Disclaimer: The Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. are not mine._**

_After a lot of soul-searching (or is it story-searching?) and rereading __Rainfall__ for what must have been the 20th time, I confirmed what the little voice in my head had been whispering to me for the last couple weeks: my story was crap. Well, no, not completely, but it was not up to the standards that you, my dear readers, deserve. My writing skills have gotten rusty after two years of nothing but English essays and lab reports, and it shows. The story felt sloppy and rushed. So, I spent the last week revising and rewriting the last three chapters, and I'm mildly pleased with the outcome. I hope you like it better that the original version, and I apologise for changing it on you. **Please, **if you notice any mistakes, let me know. Again, thank you to everyone who has read, followed, and faved, and to **Silvertongue33, Gabreya, **and **FlyingHampsterOfDoom **for reviewing and to __**Telekenetic in the usa **__for reviewing the original chapter! _

_I was planning on uploading the next chapter today, but seeing as it's not quite finished and we may lose our power tonight, I figured I might as well leave it at this. The next chapter will be up tomorrow, I apologize for the delay. _

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

**Rainfall Chapter 3 - The Black Diamond**

_-Ripples of Aqua_

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

Below the twinjet, the Omni Technological Institute glittered, a black diamond eclipsing the setting sun. Clint looked down and grinned; the rooftop would give him a perfect view of the surrounding area, and their dark uniforms would blend in nicely. The jet flew past the complex, letting Clint and Natasha down nearby, but still far enough away that they wouldn't be seen by anyone.

Carefully, they entered the compound. It was quiet, and they didn't encounter a single person until they reached the driveway across from the main building. A shot rang out, and they sprinted towards the black diamond, ducking behind a retaining wall for cover.

A sniper watched them, hundreds of feet away from the roof of the neighboring maintenance building. Natasha raised her gun, ready to shoot back, but Clint's hand caught her arm.

"Let me, Nat, my bow's be quieter."

She nodded and lowered her gun, letting Clint shoot the man with pinpoint accuracy. The sniper fell dead without a sound.

They moved quickly to the service door, on the opposite side of the main entrance. Natasha removed the ID card S.H.I.E.L.D. had provided from her pocket and slid it through the lock. The door popped open, and they entered Omni headquarters.

No one was inside. They located the fire stair without another incident, and climbed to the rooftop.

Natasha's eyes narrowed as they stepped out. "That was too easy. Either this is a trap or we're in the wrong place." Even if all the workers had left for the night, there should have been _someone_, a janitor at least.

"Mhmm," Clint muttered, scanning the ground below for any sign of the enemy, "I don't like it."

They waited until a thunderous crash diverted their attention to the water.

"Stupid," Natasha said to herself. They had forgotten to watch the docks, where several workers now unloaded cargo off a barge.

"Well, at least we know we're in the right place, for once."

They watched as the workers unpacked the crates. Instead of bringing them inside the main building or the main warehouse, they piled the boxes on the lawn. Somehow, the assassins weren't surprised when a hole appeared in the grass, dark stairs leading down into the earth. The workers, looking like a swarm of ants from their high vantage point, quickly shuttled the boxes underground as they unloaded more off the ship.

"Oh yes, this is it." Natasha smirked. "I'm going to see what they're up to."

Clint nodded as Natasha disappeared down the side of the roof, keeping watch as she disappeared underground.

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

As the sun disappeared behind the towering skyscrapers of New York City, a sleek black limo sped along the highway towards the harbor. Soon the car was dwarfed by the dark silhouette rising menacingly from the choppy water below. The structure's blank facade hid the dark figure perched on its rooftop to all but the most astute observers.

The limo slowed as it approached the entrance, finally stopping to let out three passengers.

Clint yawned, paying little interest to yet another wave of party goers.

A glint of red caught in the corner of his eye and sat up straighter, observing the group again with a frown. There was something familiar about that woman's hair...

"Damn," Clint swore, kicking an air vent, "you're not supposed to be here!" By some sick twist of fate, Stark and friends had decided to make an appearance at the very same gala where shit was about to go down. He shook his head. There was no way in _Hell _that Stark was going to screw up this mission. Natasha would kill him.

"Nat, we got a problem," Clint spoke into his comm unit.

The earpiece crackled. "One minute, Clint, I'm busy," Natasha answered. Someone shouted in the background and a gun fired.

Clint grinned as he heard a man grunt in pain. He had to admit, Natasha worked quickly.

Her voice came on again. "What is it Barton? I just got rid of the guards. They're hiding something nearby."

"Guess who just showed up."

She paused, "no, they are _not _ruining this."

"Yup," Clint replied, popping the end of the word, "Tony just showed up. And he brought along Pepper and the Big Guy."

Natasha swore in Russian. "_Chyort voz'mi_, if this thing explodes the last thing we need is a Hulk running loose. You have to get them out of there."

Clint agreed, "and if something happens to Pepper, Stark'll have our hides."

"Of course, if they leave so soon, Omni might suspect something," Natasha mused. "Wait an hour or so then tell him to get the Hell out. I have to go before they realize I'm here. The door's locked. Whatever they're hiding must be inside. _Ponimaesh'?_"

**~0.o.O.o.0.~**

"Well this is... scary," Bruce muttered to himself as they walked inside, the gigantic metal doors threatening to swallow them whole. The interior, made of the same dark glass as the outside, reminded him of a prison. "Shouldn't there be more, oh I don't know, people?"

Tony paused, surveying the empty lobby with mock interest. "Mhmmm. I'd bet they'd get more people to come if they rethought their decor. They've got the whole bat-cave thing going on. Kinda techie-goth. Pretty tacky if you ask me."

The red-head walking with them rolled her eyes at Tony's comment. She grabbed his hand, dragging him to keep up with them. "Maybe there would be more people if we actually got here on time, for once, _Tony. _Everyone's probably inside already."

"But they didn't even have anyone to greet us," Tony replied, outraged, "they didn't have someone to take my coat."

"Uh Tony, you're not wearing a coat," Bruce pointed out.

"Well if I were wearing one I wouldn't have anywhere to put it, now would I" Tony said, unfazed.

"Be nice Tony," Pepper chastised, "it's an up-and-coming medical company. They're new at this, and they probably don't have the money."

Tony scoffed as they entered the ballroom. "Really? I wonder how much this place cost. Looks pretty fancy to me."

Bruce blinked, nearly blinded by the brilliant white walls, a dramatic change after the dark hallways. He looked around. Beneath glittering chandeliers, hundreds of people mingled amidst the melodic strains of Mozart. Ladies is dazzling dresses of every color danced with their more somber-looking partners. Waiters hovered nearby, waiting with hors d'oeuvres and wine glasses.

Bruce paled.

This was even worse than he expected, as things usually tended to be, he realized. Money oozed out of every diamond and gold watchband. This was Tony's world, not his, and he was way out of his league. And the people, so many _people_. Not just the engineers and scientists like he had been expecting, but some of the wealthiest CEO's in the world and their friends. Important people, by the looks of it. People who would be sorely missed if anything happened to them... in other words, _not _the best place to risk a Hulk-out.

Tony interrupted his thoughts. "Come on old-man, you look like you saw a ghost. They've got jumbo shrimp and wine, what more could you need in life? Oh look, there's Professor Rothstein, I want you to meet him." He tugged Bruce's arm and pointed out a group of men on the far side of the room. Pepper, having recognized one of her friends, left the geniuses to themselves. As they joined the swirling mass of partygoers, Bruce could have sworn he saw on old man with shockingly white hair watching them from the bar.

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

An hour later Bruce was _more _than ready to leave. After hopping from one group of people to the next-how on earth did they all know Tony, let alone like him?-Bruce finally stopped paying attention, and let Tony do all the talking. He had tried making conversation before, especially when the idea was particularly interesting, but when he realized he had absolutely no idea who Tony was talking to this time, he gave up the cause as useless.

His eyes wandered around the room, stopping on the same man who had been watching them earlier. This time, however, the man was approaching them with a strange glint in his eye.

Bruce nudged Tony, who looked over and promptly ended the conversation he had been having about tachyon condensation. "Who's that guy?" Tony asked.

"I have no idea."

The man reached them, a broad smile across his face. "Mr. Stark! Dr. Banner! A pleasure you could make it," he spoke with a German accent, "I was so _worried _you wouldn't come. I have so been looking forward to discussing your work with you." He led them over to the side of the room.

Bruce felt Tony tense next to him, ever wary of those desperate to steal Stark technology for their own use.

Tony's voice was clipped as he replied. "Dr. Brecht, I presume? We were under the impression that we were here to discuss _your _work. Celebrate Omni's birthday and everything. I have to ask, all those miracle inventions you've been up to, are they real?"

Brecht merely chuckled. "But Mr. Stark, neurotransmissions are nothing compared to nano-prostheses and genetic alteration. Come, let us not waste the evening with boring subjects."

It was Bruce's turn to grow tense. Surely this man wasn't referencing his... other identity, was he? The Hulk roared loudly in the back of his mind, yearning to eliminate the potential threat. Bruce felt a migraine coming on.

Brecht continued, "You're work is incredible. The changes you could-"

Tony's phone rang, and he jumped to answer it, interrupting the doctor. Tony listened, his face blank, then affirmed something. He hung up and looked at Brecht, a hint of anger in his eyes. "Sorry Doc, that was our ride calling. My fiancée isn't feeling well," he said, pointing Pepper out, "I think it's best we call it a night so she can go home and rest."

Brecht's eyes narrowed and he remained unconvinced. "Ahh, we wouldn't want anything to happen to Ms Potts, now would we. But surely she wouldn't mind if the two of you stayed."

Tony ignored Brecht's comment and sauntered over to Pepper. Bruce watched as he bent over to whisper something in her ear. She turned on Tony and muttered something angrily, her arms waving.

"She's quite the spitfire, isn't she?" Brecht observed.

Bruce looked back to see Tony exiting the ballroom, a now-calm Pepper on his arm.

"They match," Bruce agreed.

Brecht nodded, a knowing look in his eyes. "That reminds me Dr. Banner, there is someone I would like you to meet."

As Brecht led them back over to the bar, Bruce realized that Tony had left him alone with the man. He winced, feeling slightly betrayed. This would not turn out well.

A beautiful woman with long, black hair was sitting at the counter, sipping a glass of champagne. She turned around as they approached and flashed Brecht a smile. "You found him."

Brecht smiled in return, but the expression did not reach eyes. "Yes, of course, I told you I would. I know how much you wanted to meet him, _darling_."

The woman turned to Bruce and extended her hand. "Dr. Banner, my name is Laura Elridge, and I am the _biggest _fan of your work. Nikolai promised he would find you for me. I'm afraid I'll be kidnapping you for the rest of the evening."

Bruce shook her hand carefully. "It's a, uh, pleasure to meet you Ms. Elridge. Do you work here?"

They were interrupted when a man wearing a dark suit and sunglasses came up to Dr. Brecht and whispered something to him. Brecht's face turned red as he muttered something back and sent the man away. Struggling to compose himself, Brecht turned to Laura and Bruce, "I must apologize. It seems that something has... come up. If you'll please excuse me." He bowed slightly and walked away.

Bruce gulped, turning back to Laura, who was now staring at him unashamedly. "Umm, I should go find Tony. He's probably looking for me."

Laura's smile grew even bigger as she curled her hand around his arm. "Nonsense, Dr. Banner. The night is still young, I'm sure he'll come find us."

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

Tony waited until the limo, Pepper safely inside, was out of sight before pulling out his phone and dialing Clint's number. The archer picked up on the first ring. "What's going on Barton? Pepper wasn't too pleased about the early bedtime."

"They're neck deep in illegal operations, Stark, that's what up," Clint replied, sounding mildly agitated, "Natasha took the guards out, but she's having a hard time opening the door without setting off an alarm."

"Hold on a sec, Cupid, what door are we talking about?"

Clint mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that, Barton?"

"Nothing Stark. They have a warehouse out back. Underground. Fury sent us to check the place out."

"Well you should have said so sooner," Stark said, suddenly enthusiastic. He spoke into his 'watch,' "Jarvis, hack into the OmniTech database and open the door for our favorite little Russian spy. And actually, while you're at it, pull up whatever files you can find about Omni Technological Institute."

"Thanks Stark. You might want to go warn Banner, this place is about to blow." Clint hung up.

"Warn Banner?" Stark said to himself, "now why would I want to..." A look of understanding appeared on his face, "ahhh, I see, hawk-man." He grinned. "Oh yes... let me go _warn _Banner."

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

Bruce's night really could not get any worse. Laura had trapped him in a corner of the ballroom and was questioning him _intently _about his work and personal life. He had tried to get away several times but she was... _clingy_. God, he hated clingy women. He was about to claim food poisoning when he saw Tony walking towards him, _finally_.

"Sorry Miss Elridge, but I'm afraid I have to steal Bruce." He bowed his head apologetically.

Laura glanced at him and then back at Bruce, unwilling to let either man go. She turned to Tony once more, a huge smile plastered on her face, Bruce could have sworn she was batting her eyelashes. "Mr. Stark! How wonderful to meet you here, too! I have read so much of your wo-"

Tony cut her off, with a wave of his hand. "Sorry, Snow White, but you'll have to excuse us." He pulled Bruce away from the glaring woman. "She looked friendly."

"Well... that depends on your definition of friendly. Thanks for getting me out of there."

Tony smirked. "Yeah, well sorry to interrupt your little date, but we've got an after party to go to."

Bruce looked at him in confusion. "Look, Tony, I really just wanna go home..."

Tony patted his shoulder. "You'll see big guy, you'll see."

He led them past the restrooms and down a back hallway towards a service door. As they approached it, a dreadful wailing pierced the air.

Tony's brow wrinkled. "Ouch, Jesus, figures they would make _that _their alarm." He turned to Bruce, "and that's our cue. Time to get this party started."

Meanwhile, Bruce's temple exploded at the noise, as the Hulk thumped on his skull, eager to take down whatever monster was making such a hideous sound. He clutched his head, "Tony, what the Hell is that?" He fell to his knees in pain as the monster inside of him grew. "Damn it Tony, I-" He looked at Tony with bright green eyes, praying that the Hulk liked Iron Man today as his muscles expanded.

Tony chuckled as the metal suit surrounded his body. "It's smash time, Big Guy."

The Hulk looked at him and released a deep roar, his enormous fist crashing through the exit. "Hulk smash," he grunted before running outside.

Iron Man spoke into his earpiece, "Black Widow, Hawkeye, the sleeping giant is awake and headed your way. You'd might want to move."

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

_Thanks for reading! The Royal Library in Copenhagen, Denmark, also known as the Black Diamond, is an actual building. The Omni Technological Institute is based on it, except without the large windows or the surrounding buildings. You can google image it to get an idea of what it looks like._

_Translation: Ponimaesh' is Russian for "understand?"_

_Chapter soundtrack: "Mercy in Darkness" - Two Steps from Hell **www . youtube** (dotcom slash) **watch?v=8f7TgEhiAvQ** (without spaces)_

_"Harappa" - E.S. Posthumus **www . youtube** (dotcom slash) **watch?v=WwOKKU61jh0**_

"String Quartet No. 2" III" and "String Quartet No. 3: November" by Philip Glass, performed by the Kronos Quartet.


	4. Chapter 3: Level 13

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing except Miriam and Omni_****. **

_Hey everyone, if you didn't see the author's note on the updated version of the previous chapter, I spent the entire week rewriting everything that I had posted. The new version is up now, and I do think it's a big improvement over the original. The plot is pretty much the same, but I changed some of the scene order, so it might flow a bit better if you went back and read the newer version. _

_I think my brain's fried..._

_Again, thank you so much for reading, and I apologize for changing the chapters on you. I hope you enjoy the story!_

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

**Rainfall Chapter 3: Level 13**

_-Ripples of Aqua_

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

_8 months previous... _

It took three weeks of interning at the Omni Technological Institute for Miriam Calder to admit to herself that this was _not _the kind of place she ever wanted to work in, regardless of the generous salary.

Her first day there the manager, a tall man with stern eyes, pulled her aside and explained the strict regulations that were in place to prevent the theft of company work. He ordered her quite _explicitly_ not to discuss her work with anyone outside the department, even another employee. Not to work on projects outside the building or on another computer. Not to bring project notes outside the laboratory. Not to bring projects outside their appropriate laboratory. The list went on forever.

The office itself, besides being incredibly enormous, was also incredibly fancy. Everything was state-of-the-art, and the labs themselves were to die for, but it was also _creepy_. After spending long hours studying microscopic neurons, Miriam felt as if the dark walls pressed down upon her, as if the building was shrinking. The rooms themselves followed no logical layout, and she often left to use the bathroom, only to find herself completely lost in the maze of hallways. To make matters worse, she couldn't shake that indescribable feeling of being watched. Even the research equipment recorded every time something was used, as if Omni was expecting her to ruin an experiment.

And the experiments made Miriam wince. They had assigned her to a project geared towards the mechanics of higher functioning neurons in animal brain capacity. Unfortunately, that meant they had to examine actual brains. Somehow, she had toughed out the animal behavior classes necessary for a neuroscience doctorate, but she absolutely _loathed _anything that required animal experimentation. It made her completely nauseous. She understood _why_ they had to do it, but she would never get over the sick thrill some of her classmates got as they watched a lobotomized money experience epileptic fits. At Omni, the animals were already dead, but she still felt uncomfortable slicing their brains apart. Needless to say, it wasn't her ideal branch of brain science.

Maybe she should have gone into physics.

Her coworkers, at least, were polite, but still cautious. They spoke to her as needed, but nothing more. There were no attempts to get to know each other let alone make small talk. Miriam was a naturally quiet person, but even she found the utter silence stifling.

Miriam soon realized that OmniTech was, to put it simply, paranoid.

Therefore, she was taken by surprise when a balding man, whom she vaguely recognized from Electronics, approached her in the hallway and asked if they could eat lunch together. Dumbfounded, she nodded her head, not sure what to make of the sudden social contact, and soon found herself listening to his monotone voice drone on and on about Omni's many achievements.

Knowing Omni, they had ordered him to do this just to impress her.

Miriam blinked, realizing that he had asked her something. "S-sorry Dr. Richards, could you repeat that?"

He regarded her with disapproval. "I had asked you, Miss Calder, how long you plan on working here."

That was odd, she was only an intern after all, not a full-fledged employee. "Uhh, well I'm here through the summer and then I'm back to school to finish my PhD. Who knows where I'll end up after that."

His eyes were critical. "Who knows, indeed, Miss Calder..." He paused for a moment to study her face. "You know, Omni does not usually like for our employees to go... elsewhere. We consider it to be a great honor to work for the Omni Technological Institute, and we become very disappointed when people take the experience gained here to other businesses. We prefer to keep our operations... insulated from the outside. Are you sure you wish to leave?"

Miriam fidgeted under his gaze. "Well, I'm not certain I want to leave, Sir. I haven't really made up my mind yet."

He nodded slowly. "Well, I have spoken with Dr. Brecht, one of our heads, and he would very much like for you to stay here for the time being." He went silent for several minutes, and Miriam was about to slip away when he asked her, "I was wondering, have you been to level thirteen yet, Miss Calder?"

She frowned "I didn't know there _was _a level thirteen, doctor."

He chuckled, a strange grating sound that made her hair stand on end. "There is no level thirteen, per say. It's in the basement."

"Oh, well I've never been there then," she replied carefully.

"Yes, well, _you_ wouldn't. It _is _top secret after all. It houses Project Willpower, the crown jewel of this institute's research. I'm fairly proud of it myself. If we succeed..." he trailed off, staring into space longingly.

His eyes snapped back to Miriam. "And I shouldn't have told you that," he said, rising from the table, his voice suddenly businesslike. "Well, it was very nice meeting you Miss Calder, but I must be getting back to work. Have a good day."

Miriam blinked as he left. She exhaled, leaning back in her seat, as she absorbed his words. So Omni was up to something fishy. In the basement. Typical. They'd probably have her killed if they knew he'd told her about it...

Her eyes widened, and a nervous laugh escaped her lips.

Of course they wouldn't.

She packed up the rest of her lunch and walked, quickly, over to the elevator. She smiled as the doors closed around her, leaving her on her own. She glanced at the button panel, her hand reaching for the number ten.

It stopped in midair and she froze.

There was no basement.

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

The next day, Miriam arrived at work early, eager to avoid any possibility of meeting Dr. Richards again. Something was off with that man, she had decided, and she did not want to wait around in order to find out exactly _what_.

To her immense relief, the lab was empty. She quickly went to work setting up the microscopes and preparing slides.

She was so absorbed with her work that she failed to notice several hours had sped by, yet no one else had joined her in the lab.

Someone knocked on the door.

"It's should be open," she called out, reluctant to leave her seat and risk disturbing the specimens.

Another knock.

Miriam shook her head in exasperation. Some idiots couldn't do anything for themselves. "Fine, I'm coming! Just a minute!"

Careful not to bump anything, the extracted herself from her work station and opened the door.

She found five men, all wearing dark suits and sunglasses, waiting for her outside.

She gulped as her heart tried to claw its way out of her throat.

"C-can I help you, sirs?"

They stood shoulder to shoulder in front of her only means of escape, shifting slightly to let an older man through. His hair was so white in practically glowed beneath the dim lighting. His eyes latched on to her immediately, and he searched her face with the strangest expression.

Miriam backed away slightly as she glanced around the room, trying to find another exit without attracting their attention. To her dismay, there were none. She was trapped.

"Miriam Calder, I fear this is a rather belated time to welcome you to Omni, but I'm afraid it will have to do. Are you enjoying your time here? I've heard great things about you Miriam. Your professors offered _outstanding _recommendations."

She didn't know how to reply

"I heard you talked with Dr. Richards the other day. Wonderful man. Absolutely brilliant." He took a step forward, his eyes becoming slits. "What did he tell you about level 13?"

_Oh my god, they are going to kill you Miriam. You idiot. _Her words caught in her throat and the blood rushed by her ears. Her hand flapped uselessly, desperately attempting to communicate what her mouth couldn't.

She was going to die.

"N-n-nothing Sir. I have no idea what it is. At all. Honestly. I just, I examine the n-neurons and everything. That's it." Her feeble attempt at a laugh failed miserably.

He smirked. "Ah, that's a shame. I suppose I'll have to explain it to you myself then." He draped his arm around her shoulder. "Come I'll show you."

He pushed her past the line of men and into the elevator. The bodyguards-Miriam guessed they were either bodyguards or assassins-crowded in behind them, as the man explained the project to her.

The ride down was a long one.

"So you see, you will be doing a great service to our institution, to your family, your country, the world. We are on the edge of a breakthrough, and it will revolutionize the very essence of humanity. It has been a long journey, and unfortunately, as always, there have been... sacrifices, but the procedure is near perfection. A few more trials and the... bugs should be worked out. Can you imagine it? The world will be _perfect_."

By the time the doors opened onto the first floor Miriam was ready to cry. Or throw up. Maybe both.

Her mind struggled to process his words, and she failed to notice that he had taken her outside.

She also failed to notice as he led her down a flight of stairs embedded in the earth.

She noticed, however, when they opened the metal doors, exposing the horrible proof of what had deemed Project Willpower.

Her jaw dropped. He had not been lying about the sacrifices.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't. That's, that's just too... too inhuman. I can't." She turned to go, but strong arms held your back.

So they were bodyguards.

"Let me go!" she shouted, her voice hoarse as she struggled to push away the men.

"Please, Miss Calder settle down," he replied, completely unfazed.

"Let me go, you creep!" She was kicking now, desperate to break free.

"Now, now, Miss Calder, you'll come around," he whispered, his mouth brushing her ear, "You must understand, you have no choice in the matter."

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

_I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to let me know what you think of the rewrite! Thanks for reading!_

_Chapter soundtrack: "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence + The Machine **www . youtube** (dotcom slash) **watch?v=iWOyfLBYtuU** (without spaces)_


	5. Chapter 4: The Darkroom

**_Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., or any other Marvel character._**

_Thank you all so much for reading! I also want to thank everyone who has followed, faved, and __**FlyingHampsterOfDoom**__, __**Silvertongue33**__, and __**Queen of sharks **__for reviewing. I love to hear your thoughts about the story, and feel free to offer constructive criticism. I want to make this story as good as possible, so don't be afraid to point out mistakes you see! __I was **not **expecting to take this long to update, but this chapter just did not want to get written. _

_A note about this chapter: It may be a little disturbing to some. There's surgery involved. I'm not making it graphic, so it shouldn't be too bad. Omni is working on Project Willpower, and it's not pretty._

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

**Rainfall: Chapter 4 - The Darkroom**

_-Ripples of Aqua_

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

**~0.o.O.o**

Natasha looked over the dead workers in disgust. They had been easy to kill, _too _easy. No self-respecting criminal organization let any of their members go without combat training, and these idiots clearly had none at all. She searched their bodies, now strewn across the stairwell, but found nothing, not even a key. Natasha scowled. The great metal doors to the underground warehouse had closed and locked themselves before she could get inside. Well... she would just have to get in the hard way then. She brushed her hands slowly over the doors, searching for some sign of weakness. A lock to pick, perhaps, or a keypad to hack into.

There was nothing.

But maybe with enough force on just the right angle... She stepped back, sizing up the metal, then sent her foot flying towards the door. It didn't budge and she tried again. Nothing. It wasn't until Natasha's fifth try that the doors finally swung open.

It also wasn't until Natasha's fifth try that the alarm went off and heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs.

She growled in frustration. "Damnit Stark."

Her earpiece crackled in response. "Sorry, your method was taking too long."

Natasha rolled her eyes. This was the last time she let Barton ask the billionaire for help. "My method wouldn't have told them I was here, you idiot."

She turned around and grabbed her gun as the footsteps found her. She shot the first guard in the chest and he fell to the ground, dead. The others fired back, but she dodged the bullets easily. Ducking behind a column, she pulled out a knife as more flew by. She stepped out and kicked the closest man in the gut. She rammed the hilt of her knife into his head as he fell forward, unconscious. Something breathed behind her and, grabbing onto the arm that reached for her throat, Natasha threw the guard to the ground. Another round of shots flew towards her, but her widow's bite was too fast. Two more fell to the ground dead.

Natasha's earpiece came on again. "Black Widow, Hawkeye, the sleeping giant is awake and headed your way. You'd might want to move."

The ground shook and fear flashed through the Widow's stomach, but she stamped it down. This was _not_ the time to deal with the Hulk. The last guard recovered from his surprise sooner and lunged at her. She flicked her wrist and her knife sprouted from his chest.

With a satisfied smirk Natasha surveyed her handiwork. She retrieved her knife from the guard's body, wiped it on his jacket, and replaced it in her boot.

The alarms went silent, and something fell from the ceiling behind her.

"Shit, those things are annoying."

Natasha watched her partner pulled a rope down from the ceiling and jam it back into an arrow. "You can thank Stark for that, Barton."

Clint looked at her, his hands raised. "Hey, I asked him to open the door, not set that thing off." He glanced around the room and his mouth formed a grin. "Not like it inconvenienced you, Black Widow."

The room trembled and a roar echoed overhead.

"Yes, Barton, and _that _will. We need to get evidence out before the Hulk-"

"-starts smashing?" Clint interrupted. "Yup, on it."

Natasha nodded. "You take that half," she said, pointing to the larger hallway. She turned to the smaller corridor braking off from the larger one. The lights were dimmer, and it led to a heavy, black door. "I'll get this side."

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

The Hulk crashed through the stairs, and bits of mortar went flying. Seeing the dead guards on the floor he growled. A predator was nearby.

Iron Man jumped away as a particularly large chunk of cement landed where he had been standing. "Easy big guy, it was just Natasha. You remember her don't you? The scary ninja lady?"

The Hulk nodded slowly. The ninja lady was pretty scary, which was why he had attacked her before. Scary people were bad. They hurt the Hulk. But the Hulk liked Tony, and Tony said the ninja lady was okay.

"Good. Let's go crash their science fair."

The Hulk grunted. "Hulk smash?"

Iron Man thought for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest. Reaching up, he slapped the Hulk on the back. "I'll tell you what, let me get stuff off their computer without breaking anything, and when I'm done you can smash it all to bits. Deal?"

The Hulk smiled, reminding Tony of a wolf. "Deal."

Tony, who had hacked into the floor plans of the underground building, led them to a large set of glass doors. His eyebrows shot up as he stepped inside. This was... not what he had been expecting.

On the far wall was a long table full of brains-many species of brains, by the looks of it-preserved in large glass jars. Medical equipment was scattered around one side of the room, while nasty looking machines beeped intermittently on the other. In the middle was a surgical chair with an... unpleasant looking stain on it. Scalpels and knives littered a nearby table.

Tony winced. These people were creeps.

Unfortunately, the Hulk didn't react as well. A low growl ripped from his throat. He was well aware of what happened in laboratories like these. The Hulk swung his fist into the ceiling and shards of glass rained down. "Chair bad."

"Hey, we got a deal," Tony warned, quickly moving towards the computers.

The Hulk grunted his compliance reluctantly. He watched, curious, as Tony bent over the machine, stuck something into the monitor, and began typing. Soon, Tony straightened up, a triumphant expression on his face. He spoke through his earpiece, "Guys, I found their computers. Their security is down _and _I got all their files. See Romanoff, I can do cool stuff too."

"Smash now?" the Hulk questioned, pointing at the chair. Tony was taking too long, and he was becoming impatient.

Tony nodded and slapped him on the back again. "Go at it Big Guy, it's all yours."

The Hulk got right to work.

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

Natasha walked down an aisle of cells, each one suspiciously empty. She examined one. Trashed littered the floor and there was no dust to be seen. They had been used recently. Something must have prompted Omni to free, or kill, the inhabitants.

She reached the end of the hallway and paused in front of a large black door that stood out against the other cells. Next to it was a large control panel with far too many switches to be an ordinary lock. Natasha's eyes narrowed. This not an ordinary cell, but a sensory deprivation chamber.

She flipped the first switch and the door opened onto darkness. Sending grudging thanks to Stark for overriding their system, she turned on the light and went inside.

Her lungs filled with hot, humid air and the stench of human habitation. The room was hideous. Flecks of paint peeled away from the wall that had once been white, but was now stained a dull brown. Old food rotted in the corner as flies buzzed around it. Water dripped from the ceiling, and a murky puddle formed underneath.

Glassy eyes stared back at Natasha. A young woman sat inside with her hands and legs bound in leather and an old rag stuffed in her mouth. Old blood stained her clothes and coated the wall she leaned against. Her curly hair was cut oddly short, as if it had fallen out and only recently begun to grow back.

Images flashed before the Black Widow's eyes, of imprisonment, death, and the color red. She shivered, remembering her childhood in a Hell similar to this... A place where you killed or got killed. A place where you were alone. A place where the slightest misbehavior would get you locked away in such a room.

She blinked, trying to remove these thoughts from her mind. Natasha glanced back at the woman and scowled. _No one _made her revisit the past.

With a quick shake of her head, Natasha bent down to remove the rag. The girl flinched and tried to move away, but the drugs moving through her veins made her sluggish and clumsy. Natasha quickly removed the rag and made sure she was breathing. Seeing the girl was in no immediate danger, she spoke into her earpiece. "Guys, I found someone."

Clint's voice responded. "Are they alive?"

"Yes, but she's drugged. I'm going to need help getting her out of here."

This time it was Tony who spoke. "Yeah, Bigbird's flying right over." He paused. "Watch out, drugs aren't the only thing they gave her. If my guess is correct. And they usually are."

Natasha growled. "Spit it out Stark."

"Uh, yeah, sorry, but it's kinda hard to explain... just get back out here and I'll show you the files they had on them."

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

The quinjet hovered over Omni headquarters as the Black Widow emerged from underground, her gun glinting in the moonlight. Close behind her came Hawkeye, carrying the unconscious woman in his arms. Iron Man and the Hulk waited for them, ready to cover their exit if necessary.

As the two agents drew closer the Hulk's eyes narrowed. He bent over to look more closely.

There was blood on the woman. Someone had hurt her. She looked so frail next to the agents. Her hair was tangled and her cheeks were bruised. Even her drug-induced daze couldn't stop her lips from frowning.

The Hulk understood that the chair had been for her. A low growl escaped his lungs and his hands clenched.

Natasha's eyes widened as she saw the Hulk prepare to strike. "Bruce, stop! It's okay! She's not going to hurt you!"

Iron Man flew over, placing himself between the giant and the agents. His blasters fired up, and he raised his arms, ready to strike if necessary. "Hey Big Guy, it's only a little blood. You're not afraid of a little blood are you?"

The Hulk ignored such a ridiculous statement.

Iron Man continued, "Relax, we've just got to get her into the jet. You don't need to smash."

The Hulk shook his head. Tony was so stupid sometimes. "Tiny hurt. Hulk mad."

Tony lowered his arms and nodded his head in understanding. "Yeah, I know. Smash their building, though, 'kay?"

Natasha finished strapping the girl into the harness and Clint, who was already in the jet, pulled her slowly up.

Another shot rang out. Dr. Brecht stood on top of the Black Diamond, his gun pointed at the woman. The polite mask from earlier had disappeared, his face now contorted in rage. "Put the girl down. She's mine."

Iron Man laughed. "Really? Because I don't think she'd agree with that."

"Put her down, or else."

"Oooh, scary," Tony jeered, "or what, you'll shoot? Please." He glanced back at the jet, where the agents had safely gotten her inside and were closing the door. "Sorry, but you're a bit late for that."

A large green fist came down upon the doctor and smashed him into the floor below.

The Hulk grinned. "Tiny safe."

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

_Miriam couldn't move her body. Thick leather straps bound her to a chair. She struggled to break free, causing them to dig deeper into her skin. Her shoulders fell in defeat. She couldn't see either, and that terrified her. The bodyguards never took the blindfold off, and she had lost track of time or direction long ago. Since childhood, she feared the dark, and now the dark was everywhere, swallowing her whole. _

_Miriam felt them move the chair and a loud whirring sound filled the air. Her head felt suddenly lighter; they were shaving off her hair, leaving her vulnerable and exposed. Something brushed the side of her neck and she whimpered in fright. Metal groaned as they pressed against her forehead. Cool bars clamped around her skull and the contraption creaked shut. Her temple throbbed under the pressure. Adrenaline flooded her body. She was completely immobilized. A terrible cry pierced through the noise of machinery, and she belatedly recognized it as her own. _

_Cool skin caressed her cheek and a voice purred in her ear, "Miriam, darling, relax. This won't hurt a bit." Bile rose in her throat as she realized it was Dr. Brecht. "Rejoice little one, soon you will be beautiful. You will be perfect." _

_His hands released her and a cool breeze fluttered against her cheeks. Miriam felt a pinch in her arm and her eyelids grew heavy, oh so heavy. She longed for rest, true sleep, not the haze filled twilight of nightmare joining reality. To just relax her mind for a moment..._

_She was floating, soaring through the sky. White clouds tickled her feet and the sunlight, oh how she had missed it, warmed her skin. Her heart felt lighter than a feather. She was free at last, free as a bird. If this was Heaven, how she wanted to stay here._

_Miriam was at peace._

_Something cold as ice hit her face, startling her out of her trance. She touched her cheek and felt wetness. It was raining. She watched as the clouds, once white and playful, darkened and bulged. Thunder roared in the distance. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. The storm grew with unnatural speed, and the sky plunged into premature night. The deafening rumble filled her head, and her brain threatened to explode. Another crack of lightning lit up the sky, except now its blinding tendrils headed straight towards her. Harsh pinpricks of static ate away at her skin._

_Then the rains came, loud and furious. The blanket of water cooled her aching body. It surrounded her and she felt safe again. The storm raged higher, but the rain protected her. It blocked out the endless drone of the thunder and harsh flashes of light. Her heart swelled in gratitude._

_The sky melted away and Miriam was falling. Gravity pulled her faster and faster, but she never hit the ground. Fog obscured her vision, slowly morphing into the image of a man. He was talking to her, asking her questions, but she couldn't understand. The rumbling was back, a loud, annoying whine. His face slowly took shape, and then, Dr. Nikolai Brecht stared back at her. _

_Grief welled in her chest then turned to panic. What she had heard was not thunder, it was the sickening noise of a drill going into her skull. They were in her head, altering the very essence of who she was. They were operating on her brain, and she was there to watch it. Her body jerked like a puppet on strings. She screamed, no longer in control, as her body rebelled against its metal enclosure. _

_"That's enough, stop cutting."_

_The fog came back, and she drifted into nothingness. _

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

_Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!_

_A note about the last scene: Miriam just experienced what is often called an "awake craniotomy," which is a type of brain surgery. Often used to remove brain tumors, the patient is put under anasthesia, but then waken up when the surgeons go to actually remove the tumor. The skull is numbed with local anasthesia, but the brain itself has no nerves, so it cannot feel pain. A doctor talks to the patient and asks them questions in order to monitor brain function. If they notice the patient developes a language impediment, for example, they know they're hitting an important brain center and they immediately stop cutting. This vastly minimizes possible brain damage, and many patients make full recoveries. Though incredibly scary, this type of surgery has saved many, many lives, and the technology is still advancing. Of course Miriam didn't exactly want or need one, so she's not too happy right now. _

_Chapter soundtrack: _

_"What's Happening to Me" - Two Steps from Hell **www . youtube **(dotcom slash)** watch?v=CBA9_y7nFUk**_

_"Nineveh" - E.S. Posthumus **www . youtube **(dotcom slash)** watch?v=PTy81zxGuxQ**_


	6. Chapter 5: Awake

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the OCs. The rest is Marvel's.**_

_Hi everyone. I am so, so sorry for the awful update time. Things were... crazy, but I feel really bad. To hopefully make it up to my dear readers the next update will be super fast._

_Thank you so much to everyone who has read, followed, and favorited. This story just hit 1,000 views, and it wouldn't have been possible without all of you. Special thanks go to __**FlyingHampsterOfDoom, wintersnowish, and Queen of sharks **__for reviewing. You guys don't know how much it means to me. I also want to give __**Kimisanna **__a special shoutout for mentioning me in their own amazing story!_

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

**Rainfall: Chapter 5 - Awake**

_- Ripples of Aqua_

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

Dr. Nikolai Brecht sat in a dark leather chair, staring blankly out the window. His fingers tapped impatiently on the desk as he waited. The door clicked open his frown deepened. Turning his face towards the noise he spoke, "Laura, _darling_, where were you?"

The woman entered quietly, her head bowed. "The ballroom, Sir. There were still guests-"

"Ah, I see. And did you not hear the alarm? It is quite loud..."

Her hand toyed with her jacket cuff, but she raised her eyes to meet him. "No, I heard it."

His eyes narrowed. "Then why were you and the majority of my guards still in there?"

"But, if one of the guests was trying to sneak into the offices..." she trailed off in confusion. He looked pointedly at her and her eyes widened in realization. She had made a grave mistake. "It wasn't a guest?"

"No, you fool. It was S.H.I.E.L.D." He leaned forward. "And can you guess what they were after?" he asked, his voice dangerously cool.

She shook her head. "They couldn't know how..." Her forehead wrinkled. Had she made another mistake, as well?

He smirked at her confusion, his head nodding. "Ah, my dear, but they did. And _you _were not there to stop them. I am very disappointed."

The corner of her eye twitched, but she straightened her back, bracing herself for Brecht's anger. She refused to show her fear. "I apologize, Sir. I had no-"

He cut her off, his patience evaporated. "Be quiet and listen to me. They destroyed the specimens and hacked into the computers. My labs are in ruins. Twenty-five of my guards are dead. But that is not the worst of it. They stole _her_. Do you understand what you allowed to happen? Do you?" He was shouting by the end.

"How did they find her? She was-"

"I told you to shut up," he snarled. "She is gone. I want her back, and you will get her back for me." He lowered his voice. "Oh, and Laura, if you fail, I will kill you."

She bowed her head once more. "I understand, Sir"

He nodded, satisfied for the moment. "Very well. Now be a good little girl and call The Boss and explain what happened last night. I doubt he will be pleased to hear it. That is all."

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

"Really, Bruce? I'm fine. It takes a lot more to injure the amazing Tony Stark." He thumped his chest to show his strength.

Bruce, however, was not convinced. No human could match the Other Guy. "I could have killed you!"

Tony thought for a moment. "Well... yeah I suppose. But you didn't."

Bruce's face crumpled. "But I could have!"

Tony shook his head and looped his arm around the other man's shoulders. "Alright big man, let me tell you something. A little secret straight from the billionaire genius himself."

"What?" Bruce asked, doubt clouding his face.

Tony answered with a ridiculously loud stage whisper. "I don't worry about the things I didn't do. Never. And look where it's got me."

A snort escaped Bruce's lips and he rolled his eyes. "You haven't gone to a company meeting in months?"

"Bruce, no that's... well okay yes," Tony said, pouting, "but that's not my point. My point is that I don't worry about things and I'm happy, rich and basically just awesome in general."

"Exactly. You let Pepper worry about the things you didn't do instead."

Tony flapped his hand uselessly. "Oh please, give me some credit Brucie. Pepper also worries about the things I did do. She worries about everything. She likes to worry." He paused. "So do you, apparently."

"Tony, I really-"

"Shut up, Bruce. I don't want to hear it," Tony said, his tone suddenly serious. "I've told you this before. You are too much a part of this team to go running away like a big green baby."

"I almost hurt her too, though! She wasn't even _conscious _and I almost attacked her!" After he woke up and remembered his initial reaction to the girl, Bruce was practically drowning in his own guilt. The girl was as far away from being a threat as possible, yet he distinctly remembered the Hulk advancing on her. That was completely unacceptable, and he was determined not to let it happen again.

"Oh the Big Guy wanted to do something to her alright," Tony said with a snicker. "Except I don't think that something was 'hurt.' It was cute."

That was idiotic. "Tony-"

"Actually, no I take that back. It was disgusting. I puked a little bit in my mouth." Tony grabbed his stomach and gagged. "I've only seen the Hulk that protective once before, and that was with me."

Bruce raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "What? Are you jealous?"

"Pshhh. The great Tony Stark does not get-" Tony paused, his gaze moving to the door. He grinned and leaned back in his chair, his feet resting unceremoniously on the conference table. "Oh, hey Capsicle. You missed a great party last night. Too bad no one invited you."

Steve entered the room. "Doctor Banner," he greeted, nodding to the man. He glanced at Tony, "Stark," he acknowledged. He took his place at the table, his back straight.

Thor followed behind, a large smile stretching across his face. "Greetings my fellow warriors! How fare thee this morning?" He dropped into the empty chair next to Bruce with a large thump and looked around the room. "The man of Fury wishes to speak with us?" he asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Steve answered him, "Good morning Thor. Yeah, Barton and Romanoff had a mission last night and these two showed up." He failed to hide his annoyance. They had nearly compromised the mission.

"Excuse me, but _we _were invited. I'm sorry if you're jealous," Tony said, "Actually I'm not. What're you doing here Barbie?"

Thor stared blankly at Tony for a moment. "Who is this Barbie you speak of? I was summoned from Asguard by the Man of Fury, but he did not say why."

Bruce fiddled with his glasses. Fury didn't call Thor to Midguard for just any old problem. "Is it that bad?" he muttered to himself. All he wanted was to relax.

Fury himself appeared soon after, followed by the silent figures of the two assassins. Clint and Natasha took their seats quickly, their expressions bored. The Director took his place at the head of the table and began the meeting. "Alright everyone, be quiet and listen. I called you here because, once again, the Earth is in danger."

Thor raised his hand. "Who dares to threaten our peace. Is it this Barbie that the Man of Iron mentions? We must fight him."

Fury ignored the God of Thunder. "For a long time, now, S.H.I.E.L.D. has tracked a string of disappearances. Some of the world's best minds have been kidnapped. The government has no idea what they're dealing with. However, several weeks ago I got a tip that the Omni Technological Institute was involved. I sent those two," he pointed at Barton and Romanoff, "to investigate. Well, it turns out I was right. They are neck deep in illegal operations."

It was Steve's turn to ask a question. "I've heard that name before. Aren't they involved with medicine? What are they doing that's so bad?"

Natasha spoke. "Their work in psychology and medicine is merely a front for their real business. Their interest in the brain is not for curing disease, but for altering the mind. They kidnapped those people for their knowledge of the field.

Fury nodded. "Yes, but that's not all of it. Many of their victims were engineers and physicists. Whatever they're planning, it goes beyond the human brain."

Thor was still confused, however. "Did we not just destroy their fortress? If there are more left we shall kill them."

"It's not that simple, unfortunately," Fury said, "We believe Omni is part of a larger organization. What we found yesterday was just the tip of the iceberg." He paused. "And there is something else. Tony?"

Tony's head snapped up. "Huh? Oh, well their files were messy. Like really messy."

"They coded them to self-corrupt when opened on another computer," Bruce added.

Tony continued. "But we did manage to get the dirt on some of their experiments. Basically, they're kidnapping people and cutting up their brains. Who knows what for. All of their previous test subjects ended up six feet under." He grimaced in disgust. "Or in a display case." The laboratories had not been pretty.

The rest of the table stared at him.

Bruce sighed. "From their notes, it appears that the surgeries were not done carefully," he explained, "they caused extensive brain swelling, which is fatal unless the brain is given room to expand or the pressure is relieved. It appears, however, that some victims did survive the swelling, but went on to develop lesions in the cerebellum and the spinal cord."

"We think those people became paralyzed," Tony added, his tone indifferent.

The room was quiet was quiet for a minute as they absorbed the scientist's words.

"What were they trying to do?" Steve asked quietly.

Tony shrugged. "Who knows. Make an army of zombies maybe."

Bruce watched his friend worriedly. Whenever Tony feigned indifference it meant he was deeply hurt by something. "We don't really know. The only consistent thing they mentioned was something about connecting the cerebellum to other parts of the brain." He pinched the bridge of his nose. Despite everyone's belief that he was a medical doctor, biology was not his strongest subject.

"What about that girl?" Clint asked, "Was she one of their test subjects?"

"Most likely," Natasha answered him, her voice tense. "If they wish to alter the mind, there is no better way to do so than by depriving it." She knew all too well what is what like to be brainwashed. To be trapped in Hell and have no other choice but to listen to your captors when they took you out. To be molded into one of them. This entire business reminded her far too much of her childhood.

Steve frowned at them. "What girl are you talking about? I thought you said they all died." He looked around the table.

"Not all of them," Fury answered.

"If she was brainwashed she could be dangerous," Steve added. As much as he hated to imagine a woman as a threat, the modern world had quickly shown him that they could be just as dangerous as men. The Black Widow was a perfect example. If the girl's mind had been reprogrammed then allowing her in the S.H.I.E.L.D. base was a grave mistake.

Fury looked at the soldier, mildly surprised. "You have nothing to fear, Captain. She has been unconscious since we found her. There are guards posted around her room, but I doubt she could threaten us any time soon."

Tony coughed then muttered something under his breath. He looked at Fury and raised his hand.

Fury glared back. "What is it Stark?"

"Can you hurry it up a bit," Tony whined, "this is taking forever. I'm really not a meeting person. Places to be, things to do, and all that. Unlike some of you."

Steve looked at him disapprovingly. "The sooner you be quiet the-"

He was cut off when the door opened and Agent Hill entered, looking somewhat flustered. That was unusual. She stopped in front of Fury. "Sir, you'd best come down to level 2. She's awake."

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

Miriam was drowning. The dark cocoon of the ocean surrounded her, pressing her downward. She couldn't breathe and it occurred to her that she was sinking. _You have to swim to the surface Miriam. Move your body. _She tried to obey the voice in her head, but her limbs refused to listen. She had forgotten how to swim, something that had some so easily before.

Something beeped and she tried to look around.

There. A tiny fleck of white in the distance. It beeped again and the light grew larger. Her body began to move and she floated towards it.

Her head jerked. She was lying on something soft. Her eyelids felt heavy, gravity dragging them downward. She struggled to push them open. A sliver of light appeared underneath them, and the world became brighter. She was blinded by the light.

Miriam blinked. Her eyes were open now, but she couldn't see. The world was a blur.

Another beep.

She shifted slightly and something pulled in her arm. She gasped an the bottom fell out of her gut. The beeping noise quickened and she understood that she was in the lab again. She could feel the drugs enter her arm, making her dizzy. Even the blood coursing through her body felt sluggish and heavy as her heart pumped it onward. She ripped the tube out.

It was an experiment. Another experiment. Again. She couldn't breathe.

A knife stabbed the back of her eye and the bolt of pressure radiated through her skull. The pressure increased and she thought her head would explode.

A flurry of color appeared in front of her. It got closer and bent down over her.

"Are you okay?" it asked.

No she was not okay. They knew that, but they still refused to stop.

The pressure creeped into her jaw, then down her neck.

"Relax. It's okay now."

Her mind laughed. That's what they always said. Relax. Relax as her soul was violated in every way possible. Relax as her body was destroyed bit by bit. She could not relax. The pressure entered her shoulder, her arms. It radiated down her spine.

"Hey, you're safe. We've got you now. Those creeps can't get you."

Those creeps. Their faces flashed through her memory. They were holding her down. She struggled against them. One of them laughed. He was holding a knife above her head. The blade was dull, but it glinted dangerously under the lights. It moved downwards toward her eyes, filling her vision. It touched her skin, oh so gently. He laughed again and she screamed. The pressure ran down her body and suddenly the knife disappeared. More screaming.

_No._

She gasped for air. _No, not again. _She coughed and shook her head, trying to gain some control over herself. There would be no repeats of that night. Never again. Absolutely not. The pressure receded.

The voice spoke again. "Does it hurt? I'm sorry about that. I'll ask the nurse to get you some painkillers." His eyes were worried as he watched her.

She blinked. They had never offered her painkillers. She sat up slowly and looked around.

The room was plain, the walls and furniture white. She was on a hospital bed, the IV dangling uselessly nearby. It was, she realized in shock, sunny. They had never let her see the sun before.

Perhaps she was somewhere else.

She looked back at the young man, who was waiting anxiously at her side. Did he actually care how she felt? It appeared so. The pressure disappeared and she sighed in relief. No one could learn about that. She moved her tongue to tell him she was sorry, but all that came out was a croak.

He jumped off the bed. "Oh, sorry! I forgot. You're throat must be dry." He went over to the sink and filled a glass with water.

She took it gratefully. She drank it slowly, enjoying the cool feel of the liquid. It cooled her burning throat and gave her strength. She tried once again to speak. "W-where am I?" Her voice was still rough, but at least it worked.

He looked at her sympathetically. "I can't say... but I promise you, you're safe. You're not a prisoner anymore." He frowned. "And you're not going back wherever you were," he added, his voice determined.

"Who are you?"

He smiled. "Officially my name is Agent William Bradley, but you can call me Will."

He stuck his hand out for her to shake. She looked at it for a moment, then took it slowly.

Will continued. "Well, I'd better tell the others that you're up. They'll want to make sure you're okay. And hopefully get you some pain meds. I'll be right back."

She watched as his figure moved away. "Wait!" she called out. He turned around. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"Because I'm your friend. And I promise you we'll find the people that did this to you and make them pay. We all will."

The door shut behind him.

**~0.o.O.o.0~**

_I hope you all liked it! I know it was a bit of a filler chapter but... now that some stuff has been explained things should really get interesting. Especially the next chapter. Feel free to tell me what you think! I appreciate constructive criticism and notice of typos as well! I do my best to edit but... I do miss things. Thanks for reading!_

_Chapter Soundtrack: "Isfahan" by E.S. Posthumus **www . youtube **(dotcom slash)** watch?v=F6pqdSVj_cw**_


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